Link
by Shiranaisan
Summary: He is a foreigner in a familiar land. She is the smiling oddball of the class. When the links between their lives become apparent, will they be able to continue working together to gain them back? Spoilers for Game End
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Day One || 14:50 || Shibuya Scramble Crossing**

When Owen awoke, he realized at once that something was off.

For one thing, his bed was unusually hard. Although he had been staying at a rented apartment and therefore sleeping on the Japanese futons, it should not have been this uncomfortable. While nothing like his raised bed back in the US, it was still much more comfortable on whatever he was on now, which felt like something more akin to asphalt as opposed to cloth.

The other thing that was definitely wrong was the sound. Owen was used to waking up to his radio alarm, but the current blare of sound was much, much louder than that. It also, no matter what a person's individual taste in music was, sounded nothing like music. Car horns honked noisily, and crowds and crowds of people chattered, shouted, and just plain _talked_. If he weren't so logical and sane, he could have sworn he was waking up in the middle of a street instead of at the apartment. It even smelled like streets, and it almost felt like he was laying somewhere exposed to the sun, just judging by the warmth of his clothes against his skin.

_I must still be dreaming,_ he thought to himself, not even bothering to open his eyes. The sensations, as real as they were, could only have been from a dream. It's not like he hadn't had those odd moments somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness before. After all, it was summer vacation; even if they were visiting his old home, he was still determined to squeeze every last minute of sleep out of his summer break to make up for time lost during the school year.

At least, that's what he was thinking of doing. Unfortunately, these thoughts were interrupted quite brutally when a car screeched far too loudly and, more confusingly, far too close to comfort.

"...!"

Bolting upright, he snapped his eyes open just in time to see a car racing at him. From his position, there was nothing he could do but gaze in horror as the vehicle sped towards him. Closer... closer...

Squeezing his eyes shut, he threw his arms up in front of his face in a feeble attempt to protect himself. In a normal state of mind, he would have known better than that; simply having your arms up in front of your face were unlikely to help much when faced with the multiple tons of metal, plastic, and what-have-you that comprised a car, especially one hurtling along at a speed much higher than it should have been. On the other hand, he had given himself over to sheer reflex, bracing himself for impact. The vehicle had to be inches away by now...

A loud roar filled his ears briefly, before fading. Owen slowly opened his eyes, peering through the gap between his arms, his mind thrown into confusion. The confusion rose when he saw that yet another car was coming right at him, and although it was at a much more respectable speed, it would still be enough to kill him if it hit. Flinching as it came close, he listened once again as the roaring filled his ears, only to fade once more. His eyes flew open yet again, and the same event repeated, over and over, the only variation being the different types of cars. After about five or so Owen began to get a hold of himself, and he forced down the urge to cringe. Instead, he turned away from the oncoming traffic and watched the line of cars zooming away from him, each of them unmistakably the very same ones that had just come at him – no... passed through him? As if to confirm his fears, a car flew through him, giving him a particularly odd sensation when he caught a brief glimpse of the driver and interior as they passed. There was no doubt about it. Somehow, the cars were going through him like air. The whole situation was giving him a very eerie sensation, and before it could happen again, he dashed off of the street. Holding onto a street light for support, he waited for his breathing to calm down to its normal speed.

_What the hell is going on?_ Despite the jumble his mind was in, the thought stood out clearly among the rest. He took a deep breath to compose himself, before thinking back. _Earlier today... Or was it yesterday? Whatever. Went to 104, headed out to Molco, doubled back and went to Dogenzaka..._

As soon as he had thought of the location, the resulting memory came back only too willingly. Owen felt himself go cold as he realized the implications. The hard, metallic feeling on his throat, tapering to a thin and deadly point... The brief pain, the darkness, and all that came after.

The whole thing took perhaps a minute at the most. By the time Owen had finished reminiscing, he'd had only about five seconds to plot his next move when his cell beeped.

"The journey begins and ends at the tower.

Reach 104, or face destruction.

You are granted 60 minutes for this quest.

-The Reapers"

Though he half-expected it, the burning sensation on his palm caught him off guard. When he checked it just to make sure, his eyes were met with the grim image of a digital clock, slowly counting down. The mark of a Player. Something that Owen was, no matter how much he wished he wasn't.

"..._Shit._"

**Day One || 14:55 || Shibuya Scramble Crossing**

"Whoaaaaaaaa! I'm back!" The words came out of her mouth with an air of amazement. How else could somebody react to having been resurrected as she? With a wide grin on her face, she jumped to her feet and began to take a look around excitedly.

Despite the amazing circumstances, she felt a little disappointed to see that everything was still the same as before. The same street, the same buildings, the same signs... The people were always different, but in that way, they were the same too. "Booo. How boring..." Her eyebrows furrowed. Obviously, this wasn't the fantastic game it had been made out to be.

Or was it? Now that she paid attention, there were some people looking around like they were totally lost. Tourists? Maybe, maybe not. One kid she spotted had some very natural-looking blond hair, and features that marked him as a foreigner through and through. On the other hand, there was quite the number of people getting up with confused looks. Surprised that they had somehow survived, perhaps?

"So if those are all the Players, then what about the game?" she put a finger to her lips in wonder. "Hmmmm! I hope it starts soon!" Without thinking much of it, her fingers wandered to her bag, grasping around small, round, metal thingies. A little startled, she withdrew one and found herself staring at a black pin with a skull on it. "A pin?" she murmured curiously, turning it over to get a good look. "Oh! The Player Pin! Yeah, that's what this is. Hmm, what else?" Before she could continue pawing through her apparent belongings, a beeping sound caught her attention. Her cell phone, a slim grayish purple model, had received a text message. Picking it out from among her pins, she casually pressed a button and pulled up her text messages.

"The journey begins and ends at the tower.

Reach 104, or face destruction.

You are granted 60 minutes for this quest.

-The Reapers"

"Ouch!" Almost as soon as she had finished reading, she felt a sharp pain on her palm. With watering eyes, she stared at the red and black timer now ticking away ominously on her hand. "W-wow... They can do stuff like this?" Her voice wavered slightly, more from surprise than the fading sting of her newly branded palm. So interested in the mark was she that the winged figure beside her completely escaped her notice.

Someone screamed.

Looking up from her personal timer, she was startled to see a woman near her vanish into thin air. It took her less than a second to notice the unusually large, almost _tattoo_-like frog. "Wha…?" She had hardly registered the thing before it leapt at the next nearest person, an unfortunate man with a streak of blue through his hair. "Augh-!" His shout was cut off abruptly as the lungs behind it ceased to exist. The frog landed not far from where he had been standing, its face almost smug. It was about then that the girl, in her panic, realized several things all at once.

First of all, about half the scramble was in a panic as frogs struck out at them. The other half remained oblivious, going about their lives as normal.

Not only that, but all of the people who had been around her were now gone. They had each been replaced with a green tattoo-frog. No, not just frog… _Noise_. Noise that was out to erase her.

She felt her body temperature drop in an instant. Her heart somehow managed to speed up a few notches, and she found that it had suddenly become difficult to swallow. _What's going on?_ she wondered vaguely as she stared, wide-eyed. _It wasn't like this, not even when I died…_

All frogs, without an exception, were turned towards her. Their throats bulged out almost comically, like in a cartoon. Haha. Funny. What a nice thought to have before she was erased.

_Not if I can help it._ A quick glance showed her that she still had a means to salvation yet. The frogs were mostly in front of her, and a gap remained behind. If she ran, she might make it. If not, at least she wouldn't have to see the freakish creature right before it erased her.

She saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. Without waiting to see what it was, she swiftly turned and made a mad dash for the gap, sprinting for all she was worth. If her physical ed teachers had been there to see, she was sure they would be amazed. At this rate, she could have beaten the track club at a meet. Or if not that, she would have at least placed. Maybe.

Even after she cleared the gap, she didn't slow in her stride at all. She was sure that the whole pack was pursuing her now, and she wasn't about to miss oblivion just to stop and get erased right after. Clutching hard at her cell phone, she ran like never before. The pain in her hand from holding onto the thin plastic tugged at a memory of the words she had read only a few minutes before. "_Reach 104 or face destruction."_

"No thanks!" she muttered to herself, dashing and weaving between people. Some, like her, ran for their continued existence; others went about their mundane lives, blissfully ignorant of the massacre happening all around them. Her body over performing out of pure desperation, she darted through cracks and gaps easily, heading towards 104.

Unfortunately, this was not enough. As she ran, she caught sight of something as it leapt at her. Something large, with tattoo-legs…

Her mind froze. She hardly felt it as she fell, her body toppling over sideways. The impact on the ground seemed softer somehow, as if she had landed on a substance other than asphalt. Subconsciously, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. As if that would save her. As if it would make all of the bad things go away. Those scary girls, those fighting men at the station, the twin lights rushing towards her…

She had thought it was a game. A game to win back her life. But games were supposed to be fun, not scary. This was definitely not fun. For the first time in her existence, she felt truly and utterly terrified. Her throat constricted, and she could hardly utter the word.

"No…!"

**Chapter One: "Welcome to the Game"**

**End.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Day One || 15:08 || Shibuya Scramble Crossing**

Owen could hardly feel his limbs. His right arm was crushed under the weight of the girl he had just tackled, as well as his leg. Even worse, she seemed to have been knocked unconscious, or was otherwise refusing to get up. _Dammit,_ he cursed himself internally. This is what you got for playing the hero. You get the girl out of the way of danger, only for her to drag you both down. And yet, it hadn't even occurred to him at the time to continue without doing anything. The moment he'd seen her about to get erased, he had automatically rushed to her aid. _Like a damn knight in shining armor. It's a miracle I didn't die from a stunt like this instead,_ he thought darkly as he shifted, pulling his arm painfully from under the girl. "Hey! Come on, get up!" He demanded, his voice shaking from both exertion and fear, plain and simple. The frog was still there, and if they waited too long they would both be goners. "Come _on!_" He shoved her over, rolling the girl off of his leg. She blinked dizzily, and began to sit up with a confused expression.

On one hand, this was good. She was conscious. On the other, she was taking far too long to recover. He could already see the frog preparing for another leap. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the girl by the arm and began dragging her to her feet. "We've got to go, _now_!" he shouted, beginning to run before she was even steady on her feet. While she stumbled for a little after him, she quickly matched his stride, something that surprised him a little. She had looked to be at least half a head shorter than him, if not more. Had he miscalculated, or was she just in better shape than he? Not that it would be hard, what with his scrawny build that came from a fast metabolism rather than actual workout. Wait, why was he thinking about stuff like this?

Snapping back to reality, he noticed uncomfortably that the crowd around them had thinned considerably since the Noise had been unleashed. While it made for easier travel towards the 104, it also made the entire thing even eerier. _So many people have already been erased…_

It was then that he became aware of the sheer number of Noise around them. Jolting to a stop, he stared in terrified awe of the wall of frogs that had converged between them and the way to the 104. _They must have erased all of the other players around, _he found himself thinking. A sound from behind was enough to make him turn around, only to find even more behind. To his dismay, he saw that they had been completely surrounded. The girl seemed to have realized the same thing, because the grip on his hand became much harder. Painful, even. She had moved closer, and was watching the frogs with a strange combination of fear and resentment. Like a child looking at someone who had just broken their favorite toy for kicks.

The frogs moved closer, and he turned to face them a little uselessly. Just because he could see them didn't mean he could do a thing about the inevitable attack. He was a powerless Player; without a partner, he could do nothing to defend himself against them.

_A partner…_

It occurred to him that he had one chance at survival, and she was standing right next to him. _But will she be able to help me through the rest of it, too?_

A frog leapt, and he only just dodged out of the way in time. Swearing vehemently, he opened his mouth with reluctance. "You! Make a pact with me!"

"E-eh?" The girl looked at him, bewildered. He felt his heart sink. It was important to have a good partner, or he'd never make it through the week. But if he didn't get a partner _now_, he wouldn't make it through the next five minutes.

"I _said_," he began impatiently. Understanding dawned on the girl, and she replied before he could finish.

"I accept!"

The world dissolved into a shower of light.

Owen was never quite sure what happened after that. He vaguely recalled the lights fading, and a new awareness about him. A knowledge of how to fight back, for example. He remembered taking out a pin and striking the frogs with lightning through it, directing the electricity to ricochet from one to another. The frogs were erased with surprising ease. It became quickly apparent that the Reapers had summoned only the weakest of Noise to eliminate as many Players as possible. All that time, they had been running from mere mooks. What made the thought worse was the fact that the lowest of the low could still destroy a partner-less Player with no trouble at all.

During the fight, he remembered a high, piercing sound from nearby, but that too ended when the last frog went down in a burst of electricity. Breathing heavily, he turned to about where the girl should have been only to glimpse her putting something away into her bag. Her fearful expression had been replaced by one of confidence, mixed in with something else – happiness, maybe? He could hardly see what about the situation would please her, but it was certain that something did. When she noticed his look, she waved cheerily at him, trotting over as if they had just met up rather than fought off a bunch of freaky death frogs.

"Wow, that was scary! I thought I was going to get erased!" Her tone somehow made everything sound so much less serious. Like it was a video game, and he had just saved her from a pack of NPC'd monsters that threatened to kill her character. Like she hadn't been in mortal danger at all.

"We almost were," he reminded her a little coldly. "If we hadn't made a pact, we'd both be Noise food."

"Yeah. But now we're partners, so we don't have to worry about that anymore. I saw you fighting; you're really good!" she looked at him with honest admiration. _Funny, I don't remember seeing you fight at _all_,_ he thought, annoyed.

"We might be partners, but we still have to make it through the rest of the week," he admonished. "We'll probably have to rely on each other a lot the entire time." _Meaning you need to do your part, too,_ was what he wanted to add, but decided it was probably too rude. She looked eager enough, nodding her head in agreement.

"Don't worry! We'll make it through, definitely!" She smiled widely, and Owen began to see that this was likely her default expression. "You look really smart, and you know how to fight- we have nothing to worry about!"

…_Did she not hear the 'rely on each other' part at all?_ Owen thought incredulously. Before he could reply, she chattered on: "Since we're partners, we have to introduce ourselves, right? I'm Na-" she cut off suddenly, her expression falling slightly. "Um. Shii… Hmmm…" Much to Owen's bewilderment, a thoughtful look came to her face. _Did she forget her name?_ "No, that one won't work… Okay! Just call me Shiiko!" Her expression brightened once more. _…No. That definitely sounded more like a lie to me. _"My full name's Shibata Shiiko, but just Shiiko's fine. We're partners, after all." She almost looked proud to have come up with such a name. Owen couldn't help but wonder why she had gone through the trouble.

"Well, my name is Owen Daniels. Er, Western order," he corrected himself hastily. "So that would be… Daniels Owen?" Shiiko stared at him blankly. He could almost see her mind connecting the dots, just as everyone else did whenever he introduced himself. It was even faster of a conclusion when he screwed it up as he did just now. _Crap._

Sure enough, she began to laugh. It was a soft sort of giggle, but it still made his face burn with embarrassment. To add insult to injury, she put on a serious face and threw her arms out in front of her. "Osu!'

"Not a cheer squad," he said, his face carefully devoid of emotion. "Look, just call me Owen, okay? Or just O if that's easier." Not for the first time, he cursed his parents for giving him such a name.

Shiiko obediently stopped laughing, and began testing the name out. "Ou. Ou-en." He could see her valiantly stifle a giggle. He sighed inwardly, wondering why his name had to be so similar to the Japanese word for "cheer." His parents had been in Japan for some time when he was born, and were fluent in the language; surely they must have known better?

"Hey! O!" Shiiko was trying to get his attention. Feeling more annoyed with every passing second, he tried to arrange his face into a politer expression. "Yes?"

"You're a foreigner, aren't you?" she asked, the excitement audible in her voice. He felt a scowl flicker over his face, but smoothed it over as quickly as he could. "You could say that."

"I thought so," she had a satisfied air about her now. "You're an American, aren't you?"

"…Yes," he admitted. There wasn't much else he could say about it. In fact, he suspected that the only reason she hadn't brought it up right away was out of politeness. With his blonde hair and green eyes, not to mention the pale skin and a horrendous accent, there was no way a person could mistake him for anything else. Aside from British, _maybe_.

"That's so cool! That means you can speak English, right?" she had clasped her gloved hands together in her enthusiasm, and stared at him with awe. Wondering why this was such a great thing, he nodded hesitantly. "Woooow! Hey, could you speak some right now?"

_Great. She's like a little kid,_ he thought. _…Dresses like one, too._ Her clothes, now that he paid attention, consisted of a tank top with a grinning face full of triangular teeth, rather like a certain biting cat from an anime he had seen back in the US. Despite the summer heat, she wore a bold purple scarf that matched her long purple gloves. Both had left the fingers and palm uncovered, and featured a simple face embroidered on the back; a smiley face on her right, and a frowning one on her left. A very disturbed-looking cartoon dog served as a messenger bag, and her boots appeared to be not only of rubber, but also feature cutesy pink clouds on a light blue background. _Or is that supposed to be _naruto_? _he wondered. No matter how you looked at her, she had to be the class oddball.

"Come oooon! Just a little! Please?" She was giving him the puppy-dog eyes now. Oh, boy.

"Fine. But after this, we need to head to 104, okay?" he said wearily. Switching to English, he said clearly: "I'm speaking English." A simple, no doubt disappointing phrase, but she hadn't specified what he was to say. He then switched back: "There. Is that good enough?"

"Is what good enough?" She looked puzzled.

"What do you mean? What I just said, of course," he said a little impatiently.

"You said you were speaking English. Except, you never did." she said, clearly confused. This caused Owen to be just as perplexed, if not more so. He tried again. "What about now?" She shook her head.

"Still Japanese." She was tilting her head to the side now, looking a little worried. She had seen that something was wrong. Owen hardly noticed, caught in his own private storm of panic. What was going on? Why couldn't he speak English anymore? He remembered learning in his Japanese classes that the part of the brain that dealt with languages could sometimes get them mixed up, since it was all stored in the same area. That was why a person could speak one language without realizing that they had accidentally switched. Could that have been the reason? But he was making a conscious effort to speak English…

"Umm, Owen?" Shiiko looked at him questioningly. Shaking his head, he tried to focus on reality once more. "Yes?"

"It's okay if you don't speak English. I just wanted to hear a real American speak it. You don't have to force yourself." He was a little surprised by her consideration for him. Maybe she wasn't as dumb as he had originally thought. _Even if she seems a little useless otherwise._

"No, it's no big deal. I'm not sure what's up… I think I might just be too distracted," he said, knowing full well that wasn't it. But what other excuse was there? "I'll show you later," he added. _Once I figure out what's going on,, anyway._

Shiiko nodded, and then looked to the 104. Owen followed suit, and noticed that they were much closer than he had originally thought. When she turned to him, he found she was smiling again. "Then, let's go!" she exclaimed, as if they were going off on a grand adventure instead of walking less than a block to the goal. Then again, if they were in for a week of this, even Owen had to admit that it was a sort of adventure. A very dangerous, morbidly twisted one. But then, weren't most adventures like that?

"…Yeah. Let's go win this." His voice was full of determination. He wouldn't lose. There was no way he could afford it.

Shiiko noticed the change in his voice, and her smile grew. "Then what are we waiting for? Come on!" She grabbed his hand, and Owen found himself being dragged towards the 104. A rather ironic change from earlier. He smiled – it was hard not to, with someone like Shiiko. Her constant grin and excitable behavior were infectious, it seemed. As they went, he couldn't help but throw a last glance around the scramble.

The frogs seemed to have all vanished. No longer were there any screams of pain and confusion. The crowd was definitely smaller than it had been when he first awoke. He became aware that all of the surviving Players were probably the few who had been able to make a pact in the confusion. Those who had failed now failed to exist as well.

Just as he began to feel a chill, he heard an angry shout from nearby. Looking automatically, he spotted a tall, muscular man. In front of him, held by the collar, was a much smaller person wearing a black hoodie. His – or was it her? – face was concealed by the hood. However, the two black, twisted wings that stuck out from the person's back were an obvious enough indicator. Owen stopped in his tracks, eyes wide. _A Reaper._

The man seemed to be yelling at the Reaper, his face an expression of fury. Owen did not have to think too hard as to what it must have been about. The Reaper just stood there, and if it made any reply, Owen couldn't hear over the distance. The man finally seemed to become fed up, and drew back his arm as he got ready to punch the Reaper in the face.

It never connected.

Owen watched as the Reaper, with inhuman speed, ducked out of the man's grip and dodged the punch with ease. Before the man could react, the Reaper had him by the collar and was lifting him into the air. It was an odd sight to see, considering the differences in both height and frame. The man must have been just as bewildered, because he said nothing as the Reaper's hood fell and revealed him to be speaking, no doubt coldly to him. When he had finished, the Reaper dropped the man to the ground, turning even as frog noise appeared out of floating marks in the air. Owen heard the man scream just as he was erased.

Just as the Reaper was in the act of pulling up his hood once more, he caught sight of Owen and froze like a deer in headlights. His dark eyes were wide with disbelief. "How?" Read his expression, as clearly as the sun was in the sky.

Owen wondered the very same thing from where he stood. He knew that face. Though his hair was different from when they were young, he had seen the pictures that he had been sent over the Internet. It was unmistakable.

"Masao…?" He breathed, even though there was no way the Reaper could have heard him. The Reaper's expression quickly changed to a worried scowl, and he seemed to come to a decision. Throwing his hood over his face once more, he ran and took off, flying somewhere that Owen undoubtedly would never be able to reach.

"Owen? Hey, Owen!" Shiiko's voice brought him back. He turned to her, blinking rapidly as he tried to make sense of what he had just seen. "Why did you stop? We're almost there." She looked worried for him.

"It's… It's nothing," he lied. He knew that even she must have realized it, but there was no way he could explain the scene he had just witnessed. He wasn't even able to sort it out in his head, much less put it into words. And even if he could understand it, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"How could Masao be…?"

**Chapter Two: "Partner & Reaper"**

**End.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: _I don't usually do these, but I suppose I should mention it. With this chapter, I have come to the end of my stockpiled chapters. While I am currently writing chapter four, it may or may not actually be finished on time. Motivation is officially starting to wane a little, and there are many things (video games, for example) that are… well, distracting. _That being said_, one of the best motivators for an author period are reviews. I'm not planning to stop quite yet, but I am much more likely to stop and write rather than play games or read when there's at least one or two people who are definitely reading this thing. Juuuuust pointing that out.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Link.

**Chapter Three**

**Day One || 14:45 || 104 Tower, Roof**

Ryosuke let out a loud, disgruntled sigh. Like most Reapers, he had been looking forwards to the next game. But somehow, instead of getting partnered with Takeshi as usual, he got roped into playing mentor for the newest harrier. Well, not quite. He knew exactly how things had ended up this way. It had to do with a certain psycho of a game master showering favoritism on the newbie like there was no tomorrow. And in true newbie fashion, the kid didn't even realize what was going on behind the scenes. _Typical_, he thought. _He has no idea what a deal he got._

Ryosuke had been with the newbie for the past two hours, briefing him on his new abilities that came with his rank and explaining their job. So far, he was less than impressed. The kid wore his old black hoodie from his wall Reaper days, and looked about as confident as a rabbit about to be thrown into a pack of wolves. Which was stupid, because where Reapers were concerned, _they _were the wolves; the Players were the ones who should have been nervous and fidgety, since they were the ones most at risk of erasure in the near future.

The mere idea brought an almost feral grin to Ryosuke's mouth. He was true harrier material, and he knew it. There were few Reapers who enjoyed bumping off Players as much as he did. And he wasn't the type to go with just a simple Noise attack; he could clever, and tended to employ ambushes and other surprise attacks by stronger, more ruthless Noise than the average Reaper.

As he gazed down at the scramble below, he began easily picking out whom to target. The girl with the weird get up looked promising, if a little too easy. Nah, he'd go for someone tougher. Someone who would put up a fight. He had enough points racked up; he could afford to toy around a little for sheer entertainment.

"Anyone good?" Ryosuke scowled, recognizing the voice of his partner. He didn't even deign to turn and look at the boy, who now peered over the edge of the roof to the people below.

"Some. Like that guy down there, with the creepy crosses and the dumb wing-shirt." He grabbed the newbie Reaper's head and jerked it so that he was facing the right direction. He smirked as the other gasped in pain. _Serves the idiot right._ "He looks like a wimp… at a first glance," Ryosuke explained. "But look at him, checking things out, wandering a little. He's not waiting for the game to start before he tries finding a partner, and you can bet it's going to be someone he thinks will get him through the game. He's smart."

"So we should take him down first?" The newbie Reaper was rewarded with a smack to the head.

"Moron. A guy like that is prime entertainment. Besides, I doubt you could get him with the trash we're stuck using on the first day." Ryosuke scowled, referring to the ban on any Noise too powerful. The Players had to have _some_ chance of winning, after all. It wasn't high, but it was definitely there. "If you're looking for someone to go after, you should try those girls over there." Again his hand lashed out to grab the newbie's head. A little more wary this time, the Reaper noticed in time to dodge. Unfortunately for him, Ryousuke's hand followed and seized him anyway, pointing him once again in the correct direction.

"See them? Miss Green and her brown haired friend. Green looks like an idiot, but Brown knows what she's doing. She's going to get them both out no matter what. But they also look like they know each other, so they'll probably think that their friendship means they'll be able to work with each other well." He laughed as he said this. Players could be so deluded sometimes. "But even they might be a little tough for you," he mused, looking out over the crowd. He felt his partner move suddenly, no doubt indignant, but he ignored it.

"There. That guy with the blue streak." Again, the newbie winced as his head was jerked over. "He thinks he's tougher than he really is. Plus, he's in a crowd of Players – just summon a bunch of Noise and they'll take care of the rest." Ryosuke considered this piece of advice especially considerate, as the weird looking girl was near Blue Streak, too. Any Reaper who attacked that group was practically cherry picking.

"Is that it?" the newbie Reaper asked through gritted teeth. Ryosuke just grinned, and released his partner's head. The minute he was free, the poor kid moved away, rubbing the back of his neck. Ryosuke didn't care. It was just a newbie, after all. GM's favorite or not, he was nothing special. In fact, Ryosuke was fairly certain the guy wouldn't even make it through his first week; he didn't have any resolve, something that being a Reaper depended on. After all, if they didn't, they'd die – for real this time.

"If that's all, I'm going to get into position," the newbie said stiffly. Ryosuke waved casually.

"You take things too seriously. It's just a game, after all," he laughed. Just a game. Right. His partner shot him a glare as he pulled his hood over his head. Instead of replying, he simply took a running leap from the roof, his wings stretched out. Ryosuke watched with amusement as he glided clumsily down to earth.

"Have fun, Masao!" he called with a smirk. The kid turned in mid-air, obviously trying to flip him off, but he was too inexperienced for that. Before he could, he was forced to look forwards again before he ran face-first into a building. Ryosuke chuckled – the kid could be pretty fun to watch sometimes.

As his laughter died, his expression became thoughtful as he regarded the crowds below. "Now, who to erase…?"

**Day One || 14:55 || Shibuya Scramble**

Masao landed less than gently. To be more precise, he hit the ground like a sack of bricks. But he also landed on two feet, which was more than could be said of his other attempts.

Grumbling under his breath at his sore ankles, he took a look around to get his bearings. He found that he was actually quite close to Blue Streak, who he was aiming for. He may have hated Ryosuke with a passion, but he had to admit that the senior Reaper knew what he was doing. And though Ryosuke was an egotistical bastard, he also had spoken honestly to him. He knew better than to intentionally try to make another Reaper fail. Instead, he gave Masao the information and sent him out to either sink or swim.

_1000 yen says he expects me to sink_, Masao thought with a grim smile. He had no illusions about his senior; Ryosuke did not like him. Which suited Masao just fine, since he had no love of the guy either. Though, he would be much happier if the Reaper would stop grabbing his head all the time. Just the thought of it made Masao roll his neck, trying to get the crick out.

Moving quickly, he headed towards a shady wall of a nearby building. He supposed that, if he leaned against it casually enough, people wouldn't really see him as being out of place and ignore him. He calmly moved into the RG, more out of instinct than an actual know-how. Even he was not sure how he did it – for some odd reason, ever since he had become a Reaper, he just _knew_. His wings vanished as they always did, and he suddenly felt much more like he looked. In other words, a pathetically skinny kid who would drop at the first punch. With a deep breath, he checked his cell phone, watching the time intently. 2:57 PM. There wasn't much time before it all began.

'I'm sure we'll make it!" The enthusiasm attracted his attention. Not too far away, the two girls Ryosuke pointed out were walking. It was the one who had dyed the tips of her hair green who had spoken. "We're best friends, after all. If we become partners, there's no way we could lose!"

Her friend looked considerably less sure. Though she nodded along with what Green said, her mind was plainly elsewhere. No doubt thinking of ways to actually survive the game. Masao couldn't help but smile faintly at their antics. He knew that being partnered with one's best friend did not always make for a guaranteed win. In fact, few ever actually made it, period. The handful of games he had been in as a Reaper had all resulted in 100% losses for the Players. He began to wonder if anyone would manage to squeeze through this time.

He checked his cell one more time. 2:49 PM. Nearly show time. Moving back into the UG, he quietly began to summon a batch of Dixie Frogs. If he could just time it right, they'd be out right on the dot. "Ten," he began to count. "nine, eight, seven…"

Cell phones beeped all around him. About half of the crowd looked at their phones, some curiously, others with surprise. Expressions changed in a wave, as the Players read the contents of their texts.

"Three… two… _one._" Everyone winced in unison as the timer was burned into their palm. Almost right away, screams and cries of horror and pain filled the scramble as the Reapers set to work.

Masao was no exception. One of the screams had occurred rather near him, as it were. An office worker, from the looks of it. She had been extremely unfortunate in that one of the frogs formed right behind her. She hardly knew what happened before she was erased. Those in her general area were dropping like flies as the Dixie Frogs did their work. Masao looked just in time to see Blue Streak go down when he tried to kick at a frog, only for it to fly into his face and tackle him to the ground. He vanished the moment he hit the asphalt.

Feeling decidedly ill at this point, Masao turned his back on the scene and instead strode into the confusion that was the scramble. Instead of watching the panicked faces of Players swerving around each other in an attempt to escape the frogs, he concentrated on creating more Dixie Frogs. More Noise to erase Players, and earn him more points. He ignored those he bumped shoulders with, even when said shoulders vanished almost instantly afterwards. His frogs were more effective than he'd thought.

Not far away, a flash of light lit up the scramble. The Reaper turned to look, shading his eyes from the intense radiance. The first pact had been made. Elsewhere, he could see identical beams as other Players began to partner up. It was about time; Masao had begun to wonder if any Players would be around for Day Two at the rate they were biting the dust. _If there are any, it's not gonna be too many, _he observed. It seemed that the Players this round weren't particularly bright when it came to the Reaper's Game. _Is this going to be another 'no win' round?_ he mused, distracting himself from the sight of a teenaged girl vanishing with a horrified screech.

He was a wimp. He wouldn't deny it. He had been wary of taking the promotion offered to him; he had been more or less fine with his station as a wall Reaper. But at the same time, something in his mind told him that declining the offer was insanity. Few wall Reapers made it to harrier so quickly, and some would kill for the position – part of the reason _why_ they wanted it. If he was being considered for the job, it meant that someone in the higher ups had decided he had the potential to be a good harrier Reaper, and the higher ups had a _reputation_ for knowing things that. So who was he to argue? They knew what they were doing… right?

When he saw yet another Player fall right in front of his feet, he nearly became convinced that no, they did _not_. Before he could quite recover from it, someone grabbed him roughly from behind. "Wha-!"

The man turned him around, and then grabbed his collar instead. Masao felt his feet lift slightly off of the ground below him, and turned his eyes up towards the tall, lean man who had caught him. "You're a damn Reaper!" the man spat.

"Really? I didn't realize," Masao replied sarcastically, masking his sudden panic. That only made the man even more livid. He shook the small Reaper as he spoke. "Look, kid. You're gonna get me out of this game, and you're gonna get me out quick if you know what's good for you."

Masao cringed. The man had every right to be angry, but he didn't have to spit all over his face. "You're in the Reaper's Game now. There's only one way out, and that's by winning. And just so you know," he added, "beating up a Reaper doesn't qualify as a win."

That seemed to be the last straw. The man just grunted as he pulled his right arm back, ready to punch. Masao saw what was coming, and acted fast. Putting his hands to the man's wrist, he yanked himself out of his grip and ducked his head to the side, allowing the arm to whistle past harmlessly. Crouching down, he dashed right up to the man, grabbing him by his own collar and hoisting him up as high as he could, barely noticing that his hood had fallen back.

Masao was suddenly extremely grateful that being a Reaper came with boosts in physical prowess. If he'd been his regular, weak self, he'd be in the midst of a very brutal punishment at the hands of this man. As it was, he was able to put on a smug expression as the terrified man stared helplessly at him. "Nice try. But did you know? Attacking a Reaper is about the worst thing you can do in this game." He spoke softly to make it even more dramatic, if not a little creepy. In truth, he was nearly shaking from his own fear of what was coming next. "Incidentally, I lied. There _is_ a way out." Dropping the man to the ground, he summoned a whole new gang of Dixie Frogs. As the man realized what was going on, he began to make whimpering sounds. Trying desperately not to be sick, he turned away and began to put up his hood again. Partially to block out the view of the man as he was attacked by not one, but five frog Noise all at once. In his panic, Masao had overestimated the amount needed. This was just overkill.

Turning to look anywhere but behind him, a familiar face caught his eye. At first, Masao could only register surprise. That blonde hair, those green eyes… Even as a teenager rather than a five year old. Masao recognized him instantly.

It was hard not to when the owner of the face was your old best friend.

About a million different thoughts ran through Masao's head in the span of a few seconds. The ones that stood out the most were "how?" and "I have to get out of here." Gritting his teeth, he threw his hood over his face and ran with his head down. He didn't care where he went anymore. He was too ashamed.

The minute he built up enough momentum, he spread his wings and took off. It was the cleanest one he'd managed yet, but he didn't notice. He was too focused on getting away.

Away from him, and away from his past.

**Day One || 16:15 || 104 Tower, Roof**

Ryosuke looked down at the streets of Shibuya. From his perch, he could see everything that occurred, from the crying kid to the gang of punks headed in the direction of Molco. And yet, he couldn't find the most important thing – his partner.

As much as he hated his guts, it was his job to make sure that Masao made it through okay. If he didn't, there was a chance that _he _wouldn't make it through okay. The GM was a hard lady to please, and even he knew that it was better to give into her demands than risk her displeasure. Though she didn't try to do anything direct, she knew how to make Reapers suffer for their daring through indirect means. Trapping an unsuspecting Reaper between unbreakable walls was not beyond the power of a GM, particularly if it had to do with the day's mission, and had the nasty side effect of leaving those particular Reapers a day behind the others in terms of points. For some, that was amount to a death sentence; not everyone kept as up to date on points as Ryosuke. And god forbid the innocent Reapers who got caught in the same trap discover the person who was at fault for it. No, he did not want to deal with that crap. Looking out for Masao's back every once in a while was much preferable to it.

With these thoughts in mind, Ryosuke found himself breathing a sigh of relief when he spotted Masao flying over from the direction of the station. A bullet dodged. He was annoyed enough with the newbie Reaper to ignore his presence until he had landed on the roof alongside him. When Masao tried to explain his absence, Ryosuke got up with a perfectly straight face and put his hands on the smaller Reaper's shoulders. Masao's look of confusion changed to one of terror in an instant when he saw Ryosuke draw back his arm.

_Thud._

Scrambling to his feet, Masao remained crouched on the ground, his arms up and ready to defend against any blows that he was certain were about to come sailing his way. Ryosuke could see a trickle of blood down the younger Reaper's chin. _Must have cut his lip on a tooth,_ he thought rather pitilessly. Turning away, he sat down on the edge of the roof once more, his legs crossed. Masao got up warily, not quite trusting Ryosuke enough to come any nearer.

"I heard you did pretty good out there." Ryosuke remarked. "Sounds like you racked up a lot of points. That's good – at this rate, you're safe. For a week, anyway. It's up to you to stock up on enough to last you until the next Game."

"I know. You told me all of this before, remember?" Masao mumbled, wiping the blood off with a fist. He flinched, his mouth still tender from the punch.

"Good for you. You can remember things for three whole hours," Ryosuke said sarcastically. "Except for the whole 'meet me at 4:00' thing. I don't mind, like, 5 minutes or something, but 15? Seriously? How the hell can you be so late coming from the train station?" Masao didn't reply. He just stared off into the distance moodily. Ryosuke rolled his eyes. Kids these days. He was about to remark casually that another punch might be in order when Masao cut in.

"What's the rules about a Player you know?"

Ryosuke paused, caught off guard. Masao's expression was one of determination, mixed with a little worry. Cautiously, Ryosuke replied: "The same as any other Player. What, you think they get special treatment for being buddies with a Reaper?"

Masao scowled. "I never said-"

"You didn't _say _it, but that's what you meant." Ryosuke was beginning to relax again as he regarded his junior. Judging by the expression, Ryosuke was right on the mark. "You realize that even if you gave this person a helping hand, another Reaper could easily go and erase 'em, right?" Masao started, before glaring at the senior Reaper. Ryosuke laughed in response.

"Not even just me. When a Reaper sees a Player, most see walking, talking points. Even if I stayed away – _if _being the key word here – any other Reaper could easily come and sic some noise on the person. That goes for if you just ignore them, too." Masao opened his mouth to retort, but Ryosuke held up his hand to silence him. "Face it, kid. There's nothing you can do. Just go about your duties like you're supposed to. If he gets erased, that's too bad. You know how it is. Only those who are worthy can get through the Game."

The resulting silence carried on for nearly a minute. Ryosuke was about to just get up and go out of boredom when Masao spoke up again. "Fine. I get it. Next time I see him, I'll just erase him."

Ryosuke regarded the newbie Reaper with a critical eye. His face was turned downwards in a way that suggested defeat, but he could see that part of it was a simple inability to look him in the eye. Exactly like a kid telling a fib.

Ryosuke sighed and crossed his arms behind his head. "A whole minute, and that's all you could come up with? Whatever. I don't care anymore. Do what you want, but if you get in trouble, I'm not gonna take the fall for it." Before Masao could cut in again, he planted his feet on the side of the building and launched himself off, his wings allowing him to glide smoothly away. He had been perfectly honest with his words. Masao wasn't worth the trouble. Besides, the GM could hardly fault him for leaving when work was done for the day, could she? He'd congratulated his junior for his good work. Wasn't that enough?

Ryosuke felt his spirits sink. Nothing was good enough for the GM where Masao was concerned.

_Lucky bastard._

**Chapter Three: Shadow Side – Reaper Feat.**

**End.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Day Two || 12:50 || Molco**

Shiiko yawned widely, one gloved hand held delicately over her mouth. She had woken up only a few seconds prior, but already her eyes were wide with wonder as she gazed at her new surroundings. As far as she could recall, she and Owen had reached the 104 easily, and then even moved on to Dogenzaka before the two of them had suddenly become incredibly sleepy – sleepy enough, in fact, to drop where they stood. The two of them were now mysteriously in front of Molco instead, although Owen appeared to be sleeping peacefully still. _I wonder how they did that?_ she thought to herself. Did the Reapers hypnotize them to put them to sleep, before dragging them bodily to a different location? Or had the Reapers teleported them using some kind of magic? Shiiko's mind began to wander down several different possibilities, each more fantastical than the first.

It wasn't until Owen groaned that she was distracted from her intense theorizing. With a glance to her side, she saw that he remained on the ground, shifting only slightly in his slumber. _How long does he need to sleep? If the mission comes and he's still not up, we're gonna be in trouble…_

She checked her phone. It read the time as 12:55. Definitely a time to be up and about, not snoozing. It took her less than a second to come up with the perfect plan to wake her lazy partner.

"Wakey, wakey, Oweeeeen!" She called as she began digging through her bag. When he did not stir, she grinned deviously and pulled out a small, black case. With a soft click, she opened the lid, revealing the pieces of a small piccolo nestled in the soft cloth within. It was her prized possession. It was like a child to her, something to be kept safe above all else and treated with tenderness.

It was also very loud, and very piercing.

Owen awoke with a start, gasping as though he had just gotten a mild heart attack. It took him a couple of seconds to see the tiny instrument in her hands, and then make the connection. His expression fell immediately into one of intense annoyance. Shiiko giggled in response.

"Like it? It was my mom's!" She held it out for him to see, even though she was fairly sure he couldn't care less. Oh well. It was his fault for sleeping in.

Though he first looked at it with deep suspicion, it didn't take long for him to get over the unorthodox waking method and become genuinely interested in the piccolo. "So that high-pitched sound from yesterday…" he said slowly. Shiiko stuck out her tongue, only a little embarrassed that he had heard her the day before. "Sorry! That was probably me. I don't really get the pins, so I use this instead!"

That made Owen pause. He was clearly confused. "…Does it actually work?" he asked. Shiiko nodded, although even she was a little uncertain.

"I don't know why, but somehow it hurts the Noise when I play. Maybe my playing is just really bad," she laughed. The piccolo was a difficult instrument to master, and while she could produce sound from it, she had a difficult time actually controlling the assortment of squeaks and shrieks that came out of the little metal tube. Still, it seemed to be almost natural to her to battle the Noise with her "music," and as far as she could tell, it really did damage them. It was a strange mystery indeed.

Owen looked to be on the verge of replying, but before he could, their cell phones beeped. The pair automatically pulled out their respective phones, checking their messages.

"Momotaro must challenge the oni once more.

Reunite him with his friends before the battle.

You are granted 180 minutes for this quest.

Fail, and face erasure.

-The Reapers"

The timers burned, causing both to wince in unison.

"Momotaro…?" Owen frowned. It was easy to see that he wasn't familiar with the story. Seeing no other option, Shiiko launched into an explanation.

"Momotaro! He was found by an old couple in a giant peach, and when he grew up, he went to fight the demons on oni island," she began. It was a well-known tale, after all. She could still remember her old book of such stories. _Although_, she reflected, _they probably aren't so well-known in America…_

"So by friends, they mean…?" Owen interrupted her thoughts. He really was clueless.

"Well, on the way there, he meets a dog, a bid, and a monkey, and they join him on his journey. He fed them the food he had brought with him when they were hungry."

"So a dog, a bird, and a monkey… Where are we going to find _those_?" He clearly thought that they had been given an impossible mission. Shiiko on the other hand, made the connection easily. Then again, she was probably quite a bit more familiar with the brands than he.

"I don't think it has to be _real_ animals," she said. "Just… something that _represents_ them. Like… something from Natural Puppy, or Jupiter of the Monkey for the dog and the monkey. Plus, 'pavo' means peacock, and that's a bird, right? So we can check out one of their stores, too. Even if we're wrong, we'll probably find at least a clue about what we're supposed to do," she reasoned. Owen stared at her with one eyebrow raised, obviously surprised by her clear thinking. She couldn't help but smile proudly. _See? I can be useful, too!_

"Okay, so we just need to check out stores that deal with those brands," Owen said quickly and a little unnecessarily.

"That's easy. Pavo Real is by Hachiko, Natural Puppy is at Cadoi City, and Jupiter of the Monkey is on Cat Street. And," she continued excitedly, "Jupiter of the Monkey is right next to my favorite store!"

"Maybe if we have time," Owen said, noticing her intent. "We'll go to Natural Puppy first. I think that one's closest, right?" Shiiko pouted, but only for a second. Even she could see that Owen really wanted to win, and she knew it was more important to finish the mission than do a little shopping. She quickly swallowed her disappointment.

"Okay then, let's go!" She quickly disassembled her piccolo and snapped it smartly into its case. She had hardly finished before she reached out and grabbed Owen's hand, dragging him in the direction of the store. He recoiled at first, but seemed to accept it as inevitable and allowed himself to be led.

_Good_, she thought, _he would get lost trying to find it on his own._ Owen looked to be more familiar with Shibuya than most foreigners, but even he was overwhelmed at times. It was better if she led the way.

The partners arrived quickly – Cadoi City was not exactly far in the distance from Molco. As the two headed towards the store, Owen stopped in front of a window, jerking Shiiko back. "Wah! Wh-what's wrong?"

The American was staring intently at a poster pasted on the clear glass. Four pins were displayed under large, pink lettering that read "Tin Pin Event!!!" She looked to the extra description below:

"A new event is taking place at Molco this Wednesday! All players must use the brand new Momo pin in this epic battle for the one-of-a-kind Oni pin!! Three "Momo" pins have been released and can be found at participating Pavo Real, Jupiter of the Monkey, Natural Puppy, and D-Vine retailers!!"

A little predictably, the Natural Puppy pin was highlighted. It appeared to have the name "Doggie" and featured a pastel blue silhouette of a puppy against a pink background.

"They must have meant these pins," Owen said after a moment. He wasn't as fast as Shiiko when it came to reading, but for good reason. "Look, they've got the peach for Momotaro, the dog, the rooster, and the monkey. It's got to be this."

"Then let's go in and buy one!" Shiiko was about to walk in, but Owen held her back.

"Wait. We don't know how much it is. How much money do we even have?" His voice was carefully calm, but Shiiko realized he must have been worrying about this from the start.

"I completely forgot about that!" she exclaimed. Owen grimaced – he had expected that. "Umm… hang on. I think I picked up some pins from those frogs we fought. There were lots of them, so…" She dug around in her bag and withdrew a handful of red pins. Each had "¥100" printed on it. Owen, too, dug through his pockets, pulling out a few identical pins of his own. He quickly counted them all up. "…Okay, we've got ¥2100 in all," he said finally. Shiiko tilted her head, her mouth the shape of a small "o."

"That's a lot! I didn't think we had earned so much…" Her voice was full of awe.

"…Odd. I didn't think so, either." He shared at the smile pile in his palm. With a shrug, he pocketed the entirety of the sum. "I'll hold on to our money." Shiiko nodded agreeably.

"Yup, yup! I trust you, besides, if it were me, I'd probably lose it all!" She smiled brightly It was a bit of an exaggeration, but having one person handle the money really was a good idea. Owen seemed to be a practical enough person – he would probably keep track of their money well.

The both of them headed into the store, going straight to Natural Puppy. Racks of clothing greeted them, the majority featuring either a shade of blue or some sort of pastel color. While the colors were alright, Shiiko found that she simply could not approve of the style of the clothes themselves. They simply did not suit her tastes. She tugged idly on the sleeve of a turtleneck as Owen went off to purchase the pin. "Boring… these clothes are all boring!" She murmured to herself, eying the plain designs critically. You would never catch her in _those _clothes. No, the only clothes that really fit her were…

Owen had found the pin quickly. He was soon by her side, the small piece of metal in one hand. "Got it. Let's head to Jupiter of the Monkey now." Looking up from the clothes, Shiiko shook her head.

"No! Let's go to Pavo Real first. Jupiter of the Monkey and D-Vine are right net to each other, so if we have time afterwards, we can just look around!" She gave him her best puppy-dog look. "Please? D-Vine is my favorite store ever. We just have to check it out!" Owen took one look at her and sighed. She could see him thinking about it, wondering if it was really worth it. She increased her frown accordingly, looking as pitiful as possible.

"…Fine. But only if we have time," he said finally, defeated. Excitement welled in Shiiko. She would be able to go back after all. She could hardly contain her joy.

"Yay! Then let's go! Quickly, quickly!" With a burst of new energy, she dashed out of the store, hardly allowing for Owen to catch up before she took off again, this time in the direction of Hachiko. The faster they went, the more time they'd have for shopping afterwards. And at a place like that…

Her smile widened. She couldn't wait.

**Day Two || 13:49 || Cat Street**

The street was quiet. It was a weekday, and not many were wandering the streets.

Owen was bent over double, his hands on his knees for support. Shiiko had run all the way to Pavo Real, and then all the way up to Cat Street like it was nothing. Owen, on the other hand, was exhausted. He didn't have the endurance to run a block, must less several one after another. _If I make it through this, I _really _need to exercise more… Assuming running around like this doesn't spell the end of me first._

"We made it…!" Shiiko panted for breath. She was winded, but not in nearly as bad of a shape as he was. Owen suspected that she had made it primarily due to her anticipation. _Like a puppy being taken for its first walk._

"Come on! Let's go…!" Her enthusiasm was diminished only slightly by her exhaustion. Straightening up, she marched up to Jupiter of the Monkey, Owen lagging only a little behind her. For the third time that day, Owen entered a store and began looking around for the pins while Shiiko wandered off, glaring at the clothes. _What's up with that, anyway?_ He wondered as he came upon the pin selection. _It's not like she _has _to come in…_ Turning his thoughts away from his odd partner, he looked instead to the display for the pins. Much like the Doggie and Birdie pins, the Goku pin featured the silhouette of its animal, this time in bright orange on a blue background.

_¥300, just like the others, _Owen thought as he went up to the counter. The clerk was a little odd, making up a short rap as Owen paid for his purchase, but he had more important things to worry about than crazy cashiers. _Nearly done… this is almost too easy._ When he had first gotten the mission, he had been certain that they would be forced to fight for their lives again. But somehow, they had yet to see a single sign of Noise. Owen couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't some kind of catch to it all.

Grabbing the pin off of the counter again, he turned to go find his partner. "Shiiko!" he called, "Hey, I got the pin! Let's go already!" Despite the shop being more or less empty, there was no sign of the eccentric girl. Scowling, he began weaving between the racks, mumbling to himself. "Geeze, that girl…"

She really was an enigma. They had been partners for only a short time, but Owen still had no clue what the hell made her tick. Sometimes, she was helpful – or if not that, she seemed to at least be making an effort to be useful. At others, she was like an easily excitable kid who couldn't get her priorities straight. Like she was playing for fun instead of trying to win back her life.

_Or, _Owen thought, _as if she doesn't actually care what happens to us._

Either way, Owen felt uncomfortable with his partner. She was just so… bizarre. Spontaneous. He honestly did not know what to make of her, ever. And every time he tried to figure her out, he ended up thinking in circles. It was frustrating, and reminded him of trying to catch water with one's bare hands; he would finally come to a conclusion about her, only to watch it all leak away as she did something that conflicted with completely with his prior observation.

_Maybe this is a sign I should just stop thinking about it, period._ With a soft sigh, he turned a corner around yet another clothes rack and nearly ran smack into the very same partner he had wondered of.

"Whoa!"

"Waaah!" Shiiko jumped, startled. From the looks of it, she hadn't seen or heard him coming at all. "Wh-where did you come from?" she gasped, putting a hand over her heart.

"I found the pin," Owen replied, holding it up for her to see. Her expression lit up as she ogled the shiny new pin, reaching out to poke it.

"Wow! That's three out of four… we're almost done already!" she exclaimed happily. Owen nodded, hesitating a little. He contemplated admitting his fears that something was fishy with the whole mission, but decided not to almost instantly. Knowing Shiiko, she probably wouldn't have anything particularly insightful to say on the subject. Though he was fairly sure that there was little that could bother her, it occurred to him that she could be needlessly worried by what could easily be ungrounded fears on his part. No, talking about it was pointless.

"Hey… Owen? How much time do we have left?" Shiiko asked meekly. A little surprised at her sudden change of demeanor, he held up his hand for the both of them to see. It read: "**1:56:22**", the last two digits ticking down at second-long intervals. "Nearly two hours. Why?"

"It's just been a while since I ate, and I was wondering… do you think we have enough to go buy some food?" She tilted her head a little to the side, but didn't try changing her questioning expression into one of begging. It appeared to be a more natural variant of the puppy-dog-eyes that she had subjected him to a few times in the past already.

"…I guess… as long as it isn't too expensive. The pins are all ¥300, and we've got ¥1200 in all right now. So whatever we buy has to be ¥900 at the most." He rattled off, doing the calculations quickly in his head as he spoke. Shiiko nodded eagerly.

"There's a café around here that I've always wanted to go to. We should try it out!" Without even waiting for his reply, Shiiko made a dash for the door. "Come on, come ooon!" she called, her hands cupped around her mouth. Owen rubbed his head, already feeling a headache coming on. "Right, right. Coming," he replied, wondering if he would soon regret letting her choose where to eat.

He did.

WildKat definitely had that small, artsy café feel about it. Even as they entered, Owen found himself eying the… _unique _wallpaper. Much like Jupiter of the Monkey, the place was practically empty save for a group of teens who had scooted several small tables together so that they could sit with one another. The small party looked up in surprise at the two partners, and Owen suddenly felt like the odd man out at a gathering in which everyone else knew one another. Even the shop owner had been chatting with the kids, obviously on friendly terms with all of them.

Unfortunately, before Owen could quietly back out and pretend that nothing happened, the shopkeep was shuffling up towards him. "Hey, welcome. What can I get you kids?" He had a kind of slouch, and was a little scruffy to boot, but seemed nice enough.

"Hmmm…" Shiiko looked over the menu, conveniently located by the entrance. "I'll have a coffee and some donuts! Oh, unless…" she looked a little guiltily towards Owen, who soon saw why. The total cost of those two items alone was ¥870. Evidently the prices were as artistic as the décor.

"It's fine. I'm not hungry, anyway," Owen said coolly. Considering he was dead and all, Owen doubted that he really needed to eat. He wouldn't deprive Shiiko of her snack.

"Coffee and donuts. Got it. You can take a seat wherever you please," the shopkeep said with a grin as he headed towards the counter, no doubt to retrieve the requested food. Shiiko merely beamed, before heading to a small table in the corner with two chairs. Owen followed, self-consciously checking the timer on his hand. Could the other patrons see it? He didn't quite dare experiment. A quick glance in their direction confirmed that he and Shiiko had become the new topic of conversation. The kids all talked quietly, sometimes breaking into giggles. Sometimes, Owen's eyes met theirs as they looked at him curiously. Whenever one was caught, he or she instantly looked away embarrassedly. It was after about the third time that one of the boys finally muttered something to the offender – a girl with short, black hair. After that, the stares stopped, more or less.

The shopkeeper returned presently with the coffee and donuts, and Shiiko thanked him politely before digging in. To Owen's surprise, she offered him one of the donuts before grabbing one for herself. "We're partners! We should share, just like we do with the money." Seeing that she probably wouldn't let him refuse no matter how many times he said he was not hungry, he accepted the proffered pastry and took a small bite. It was soft, but not under baked. Actually, it was pretty damn good.

"Hey… Owen?" Shiiko practically murmured, the guilty look on her face again. _She looks like a kid who has to tell mom that she just broke a vase or something,_ Owen thought. Though he felt a slight sense of dread, he pushed that thought aside and replied: "Yes?"

"I meant to ask… You don't have to answer if you don't want to anything! I was just curious. But… umm…" she paused, clearly wondering if she should continue at all. Owen remained silent, patiently waiting for her to hurry up and ask him already.

"How… how did you die?"

**Chapter Four: "Life and Death Is Just Peachy"**

**End**


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